LIVESTOCK PROJECTIONS BY THE TECHNIQUE OF FLOW CHARTS

Livestock Production/Industries,

High usability software for outpatient data-collection and health education

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2006.Includes bibliographical references.TechThesys is a web-deployable data-collection application intended for outpatient clinics. It was programmed in Flash and integrates visual crispness, video, voice-prompts, and clear user-flow towards high-usability across all user levels of computer-savvy. Informal usability feedback shows that the first version of TechThesys is a success among users new to computer technology and that the application is at least acceptable to more versed computer users. Some glitches and design flaws exist to be corrected in the next version of TechThesys. Users at all experience levels found themselves contributing personal information with TechThesys, motivated by the strong sense of security that it instilled.by Nadeem Abdelmagid Mazen.S.B

Rapid, Diagnostic Test for Cardiac Ischemia

Current methods to detect cardiac ischemia rely on biomarkers such as troponin. Elevated levels of troponin are observed hours after the cardiac event. There is an unmet need for rapid diagnostic tests for cardiac ischemia, which utilizes recently discovered biomarkers. A VCU patented assay for cardiac ischemia employs the use of chemiluminescence to detect metabolic byproducts of xanthine oxidase activity. These byproducts are detectable minutes after the cardiac event. Early diagnosis of and response to cardiac events is beneficial for clinical decision-making; therefore, a point-of-care device within the emergency health setting is sought. The CLSE 203 project team designed and fabricated a multi-layered lab-on-chip to not only house this rapid assay to be later implemented into a point-of-care device, but also convert the assay from a multi-step to a one-step process. The topmost layer contains the necessary reagents and blood plasma and introduces them into the assay. The middle layer passively mixes the reagents and the plasma together via a micromixing channel and introduces them into an Archimedean clockwise spiral. At the end of this spiral, the combined reagents sink to the bottom layer into a complimentary counterclockwise spiral and ultimately exit through a side of the chip. The two spirals form the area of detection, a complete circle. Metabolic xanthine oxidase byproducts are then detected and measured.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1153/thumbnail.jp

DEMAND FOR PLANTS SOLD IN NORTH CAROLINA GARDEN CENTERS

Demand for selected nursery plants sold in North Carolina (i.e., begonia, dianthus, geranium, impatiens, marigold, petunia, and vinca) was found to be affected more by prices than by income, demographic, and other variables. By using cross-sectional data, a modified AIDS model, incorporating demographic variables and quadratic income response, was estimated. Inverse Mills's ratios were also included in the model to correct for selectivity bias, resulting from zero purchases. Significant own-price elasticities ranged from -0.71 to -1.65, and income elasticities ranged from -0.78 to 0.41.Demand and Price Analysis,

Factors affecting nitrogen mineralization and nitrate reduction in soils

A study of N mineralization in soil columns (soil-sand mixture) incubated at 15, 25, or 35(DEGREES)C with intermittent leaching (to remove the mineral N produced) with 0.01 M CaCl(,2) for a total period of 30 weeks showed that the cumulative amounts of N mineralized in field-moist and air-dried soils treated with, or not treated with, minus-N nutrient solution after leaching were generally linearly related with time of incubation at 15 and 25(DEGREES)C in the 10 soils studied. This relationship was not consistent at 35(DEGREES)C; it was linear for most soils, and curvilinear for others. The rate of N mineralization increased as the incubation temperature increased and was not affected by addition of minus-N nutrient solution to soil column after every leaching. Expressed as percentage of organic N, the cumulative N mineralized in the 10 soils studied was 1-2% at 15(DEGREES)C, 2-5% at 25(DEGREES)C, and 6-10% at 35(DEGREES)C. Although there was no general trend in Q(,10) values for N mineralization in air-dried and field-moist soils at 25 and 35(DEGREES)C, Q(,10) values were always higher at 25(DEGREES)C (\u3e 2) than at 35(DEGREES)C (2 or \u3c 2);The rates of N mineralization under aerobic conditions in air-dried soils at 35(DEGREES)C were significantly correlated with amidase, glutaminase, and asparaginase activities but not with protease activity;The amounts of N mineralized under waterlogged conditions during 14 days at 30(DEGREES)C were highly significantly correlated with amidase, glutaminase and asparaginase activities in soils and also with N mineralization under aerobic conditions, especially at 25 and 35(DEGREES)C;A simple method was developed for assay of nitrate reductase in soils. It involves determination of the NO(,2)(\u27-)-N produced when soil, 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), and KNO(,3) are incubated under waterlogged conditions. At a certain concentration, depending on soil type, DNP inhibited nitrite reductase but not nitrate reductase. Maximum amount of NO(,2)(\u27-)-N was produced at 5 mM NO(,3)(\u27-)-N, and nitrate reductase was inhibited by high concentrations of NO(,3)(\u27-) (substrate). The relationship between time of incubation and amount of NO(,2)(\u27-)-N produced showed lag phases of 10 hours at the early stages of NO(,2)(\u27-)-N production with some soils, but generally, after the lag phase, the relationship was about linear for a certain length of incubation time, which varied among the soils used;The lag phases obtained were not completely eliminated by either preincubation or N(,2) bubbling to deplete the oxygen in the soil-water mixture before addition of NO(,3)(\u27-). Nitrate reductase is soils was inactivated at 40(DEGREES)C and was completely destroyed on autoclaving (121(DEGREES)C for 2 hours). The relationship between the amount of soil used and NO(,2)(\u27-)-N produced was linear unless the substrate became limiting to the reaction rate. Kinetic studies showed that, for 2 of the 3 soils studied, the K(,m) values were 2.9 and 3.7 mM and the V(,max) values were 122 and 126 (mu)g NO(,2)(\u27-)-N produced/g soil/24 hours. The third soil, however, showed significantly higher K(,m) (33.3 mM) and V(,max) (962 (mu)g NO(,2)(\u27-)-N produced/g soil/24 hours) values

Virus-vector relationships of chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus (CpCDV) and sesame jassid (Orosius orientalis) in chickpea

   Serological testing using tissue blot immunoassay (TBIA) showed a close association between CpCDV and stunt disease in chickpea. Therefore, a glasshouse investigation was initiated at Hudeiba Research Station, the River Nile State, Sudan, in 2006 to verify the role of O. orientalis as an insect vector in disease transmission. The results showed that disease transmission efficiency was increased as the number of leafhopper (O. orientalis) increased from one to 15 insects/ plant. The minimum virus acquisition and inoculation access periods (AAP and IAP) were found to be about 5 min. The latent and retention periods were 180 min and 17 days, respectively.     أوضح استعمال اختبار الوصمة النسيجية السيرولوجى العلاقة الوطيدة بين فيروس تقزم واصفرار الحمص و مرض التقزم. تم اجراء عدد من التجارب بالبيت الزجاجى بمحطة بحوث الحديبة بولاية نهر النيل في عام  2006 وذلك لمعرفة دور حشرة نطاط الاوراق Orius orientalis فى نقل المرض.  أوضحت النتائج ان فاعلية الحشرة فى نقل المرض ازدادت مع زيادة عدد الحشرات المستعملة من واحد الى 15 حشرة، و كذلك أوضحت النتائج أن أقل فترة لاكتساب ونقل الفيروس بواسطة الحشرة هى حوالى 5 دقائق و فترة حضانة الفيروس حوالى 3 ساعات. وجد كذلك ان للحشرة القدرة للاحتفاظ بالفيروس لمدة 17 يوماً وحتى موتها. &nbsp